Bluegrass Times

State Rep. Matt Shaheen, R-Texas, used Twitter to criticize what he referred to as “liberal democrat extremists” who support the idea of allowing transgender females to share locker rooms with biological females.

He shared a news article concerning the NCAA controversy involving former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines in his June 26 Twitter post.

“Liberal Democrat extremists who force female athletes to share locker rooms w/ males are anti-women,” Shaheen said on Twitter.

Gaines, a former University of Kentucky swimmer, filed a lawsuit against her opponent Lia Thomas following the 2022 NCAA women's championship, according to the National Review. In that event, Gaines tied with Thomas from the University of Pennsylvania in the 200-yard freestyle competition, and they gave the trophy to Thomas. Thomas is a trangender woman who was born biologically male.

Since then, Gaines has become a prominent advocate for women's rights and has been vocal about her opposition to transgender women competing against biological women in sports. Gaines recently testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee, speaking out against the NCAA's stance on this issue, National Review reported.

“This is the exact opposite of what we were faced with as we were intentionally and explicitly discriminated against on the basis of sex," Gaines said in a June 23 Twitter post. "Meaning the NCAA broke a federal law. What do we think about a lawsuit?” 

In her Twiter post, she included a link highlighting the Title IX law. The law stipulates that no person in the U.S. should face exclusion or discrimination in any educational program, including sports, based on their sex.

“Forcing biological women to compete against biological men in sports is unfair & robs our female athletes of hard-earned accolades and opportunities,” Iowa Rep. Ashley Hinson said in a June 22 Twitter post. “@Riley_Gaines is a strong voice for female athletes in Iowa and across the country!”

“The NCAA forced me and my female swimmers to share a locker room with Thomas, a 6-foot-4-inch, 22-year-old male, equipped with and exposing male genitalia,” Gaines said during her recent testimony, according to National Review. “Let me be clear about this, we were not forewarned that we would be sharing a locker room, no one asked for our consent and we did not give our consent.”